Squelch: censure, crush, extinguish, kibosh, kill, muffle, oppress, repress, smother, squash, stifle, strangle, thwart - All of these terms describe exactly what Joe Ferdani, PIO (Public Information Officer), for Adams County District 12 Public Schools, is doing.
As a former Editor-in-Chief of the Westlake Warcry, a Copy Editor of the Horizon Profile Newspaper, both schools in Adams 12, and a mother of an Adams 12 student I am outraged! Our students deserve better than that.
Our kids, our young journalists, have been offered opportunities through Denver's top newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, to explore journalism, to gain "real world" perspective and to become knowledgeable in areas of journalism they may otherwise not have the opportunity to explore.
To think that "Freedom of Speech" means very little within the District 12 Administration, and that students are being kept from such terrific opportunties to learn from professional journalists within our state just doesn't sit well with me and I'm sure this is true of other members of our terrific community. I sure am glad Mr. Ferdani was not a member of the Administration when I was in school. I treasure, to this day, the opportunities as a young journalist I was afforded through District 12.
What does "for-profit" have to do with it anyway? Just another political excuse, most of which are powerplays.
I think Your Hub is an excellent place for all community members, young or not-so-young, to voice their opinions and share their news. It strengthens our community by opening lines of communication and can be very beneficial to members of our community that may be in need of information they may not be able to obtain elsewhere, especially our young. And heaven knows, we want to hear what our young adults have to say.
I urge every member of the community to share their thoughts with the District 12 Administration and let us see some reform in Mr. Ferdani's initial decision to "squelch" the education of our young journalists.
Sincerely,
Stacie Gammel - Northglenn, Colorado